The Solanos invited us for a vacation in their hometown of Aklan and who are we refuse such an invitation? So coming from three different parts of Luzon: Art from Manila, The Solanos from Cavite and The Nomads together with my brother and my sister-in-law from Batangas, took a plane ride headed southward to Caticlan, ready for a new adventure.
There are lots of excitement in this trip. This is Utoy’s first plane ride and on the 29th, we celebrate our seventh wedding anniversary. This is also our first time to see the famous Boracay Island.
Day One
After a 45-minute flight from Manila, there wasa van waiting for us when we came out of the airport. Along the way to Donie’s place, we met up with Mam Merce and Sir Jude who have their own car and we drove to Ibajay, the stronghold of the Solanos in Aklan.
The residence is in a festive mood when we came. They slaughtered a swine that was cooked in various ways, all Filipino style and they also prepared a traditional native chicken dish that they call inubaran. Delicious dishes and exhausted bodies do not combine well. Our dinner that night surely contributed for a least an inch on our waistlines.
The night is a typical OFW homecoming night. Donie’s old friends and relatives came for a night of overflowing wine and videoke. Our enchanting voices broke the silence of the night in Ibajay.
Day Two
It rained in the morning, but it cannot dampen our spirits. First, from feasting on another sumptuous breakfast prepared by our host. Second, on going to a hidden paradise here in Aklan called Basang Resort.
After breakfast, even with heavy rains, we went to Basang Resort to swin in the very cool water pools.
This is the my first time of seeing and swimming in a water pool fed by spring water flowing from the mountains. The flowing water is so clean sans the taste of chlorine. Here we are as we are enjoying the waters.
Tired of swimming we took a “light meal” of these before heading back to Donie’s house.
Day Three
Today’s destination, the island of Boracay. We left the Solano’s behind because they still have to meet with their relatives so it’s only us, The Nomads , my brother and sister-in-law, and Art who went to the paradise island.
It is the month of July and the sea is not so calm. That was no problem for us Nomads, we were used to travel on rough seas. From the mainland of Aklan, we traveled on a motorized boat to Boracay Island.
We rode a trike from the port to the beach area. Art has a reservation in —— .
For us, we searched for a resort hotel and we luckily found one in no time. The one that we found is a hut-type with it’s own airconditioning and bathroom. An added attraction is a swimming pool that Utoy loved so much, he wouldn’t even join the photo shoot.
There is not much to do for this day except to walk around the beach and take photos and eat. Before we retired in the night, we talked to one guide who offered an island hopping tour for us on the next day.
Day Four
After breakfast, we took a stroll on the beach then we called our guide for the island hopping tour. From our resort, we took a ride to the get off point. After paying for our permits, we went to our boat and then we began hopping islands.
Our first stop is on the cliff jumping area. The child inside our hearts were reawakened as me and my brother took turns doing acrobatic jumps from the platform about a hundred feet high and down to the sea below.
Our next stop is the fish-feeding adventure. We enjoyed feeding the colourful fishes with bread.
On our route of island hopping, we came across other tourists who are enjoying the thrills offered in the island.
Our tour ended in the early afternoon so we still had some time to go around the beach area. Despite the rain and the not-so-good weather, it is interesting to note that there is still a lot of visitors in the island.
Day Five
Everything has to end. Even the good ones. This day, we left the Island of Boracay happy but still longing for more. Surely, this is one place that we will always consider for a return trip.
That’s it for today fellow Nomads.
Thank you for reading.
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